NiHao China rolls out red carpet for SoCal visitors

Cindy Hooper, general manager at Red Lion Hotel Anaheim, holds a Chinese-language brochure. She is among those from Orange County in the tourism industry who visited China last year. Hooper said the visit secured 5,800 room nights in the next six months. She and her staff are seeking ways to lure more Chinese visitors. JEBB HARRIS, JEBB HARRIS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cindy Hooper, general manager at Red Lion Hotel Anaheim, at left, has learned the correct Chinese two-handed method of presenting a business card. She uses the method to give a card to Chris Allanigue, the hotel's director of rooms, at right. In Chinese custom, the highest ranking person in a group is presented a card first. JEBB HARRIS, , JEBB HARRIS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Chris Allanigue, Red Lion Hotel Anaheim director of rooms, and general manager Cindy Hooper look over a Chinese-language brochure produced by the hotel. In the background tourists walk by headed for nearby Disneyland. JEBB HARRIS, , JEBB HARRIS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Cindy Hooper, general manager at Red Lion Hotel Anaheim, holds a Chinese-language brochure. She is among those from Orange County in the tourism industry who visited China last year. Hooper said the visit secured 5,800 room nights in the next six months. She and her staff are seeking ways to lure more Chinese visitors. JEBB HARRIS, , JEBB HARRIS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Buying in America

Shopping takes top spot on the to-do lists of many Chinese visitors to the U.S.

That's why retailers also are making sure they're "China ready."

Beverly Center, known for its specialty boutiques, has added Chinese signage, advertised in Chinese-language publications and hired Chinese-speaking staff.

"We make sure we have Chinese-speaking staff ready to make sure they're comfortable going to the stores," said Susan Vance, marketing and sponsorship director of the Beverly Center. "What do they spend on? They look at luxury brands, especially watches and handbags."

The shopping destination went all out in February for its Chinese New Year celebration, with visits from "Glee" TV show stars Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Ushkowitz.

Beverly Center's aim to draw in more Chinese shoppers is in line with LA Tourism's "NiHao China" program, a segment of which is dedicated to promoting local retailers to Chinese guests. The Citadel, Santa Monica Place and Santa Monica Promenade are among the other shopping centers participating.

Hello, Elsa

The black devices hanging around the necks of some staff at the Red Lion Hotel Anaheim can connect to interpreters for real-time communication with guests. Known as Elsa, or Enabling Language Service Anywhere, the technology was originally used in fields such as law enforcement, health care and government agencies.

Red Lion Hotels claims its Anaheim unit is the first hotel in the nation to use Elsa. To get it working, the user presses a button once for Spanish, or twice for any other language. In the latter case, the user talks to an operator and has a translator patched through. Subscribers have access to a directory of translators who speak 180 languages, according to device maker RTT Mobile Interpretation, which is based in Minnesota.

The hotel guest punched a string of Chinese characters into Google Translate on his phone in hopes the service, despite its flaws, could help him make a straightforward request to the front desk.

No such luck.

With each translation attempt, the client’s frustration and the check-out line at the Red Lion Hotel Anaheim only grew. As a last resort, staff activated a palm-sized device, exchanged a couple lines with an operator and connected with a Mandarin-speaking translator.

The guest wanted to extend his stay and didn’t want to switch rooms, the interpreter revealed.

“You can see his demeanor change from frustration to ... cheered up,” recalled Chris Allanigue, director of rooms for the hotel, located within walking distance from Disneyland.

The Anaheim location of the Spokane, Wash.-based Red Lion chain recently introduced the translation device Enabling Language Service Anywhere, also known as an Elsa, to defuse similar lost-in-translation moments. In the grander picture, the mobile tool is part of the company’s push to attract the highly sought Chinese tourist – a subset of traveler that has caught the attention of many in the Southern California hospitality industry.

The volume of Chinese globetrotters is expected to double to 200 million in the next six years, says a widely cited report this year from investment firm CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

That increase in outbound traffic, due in part to eased travel rules in China, can translate to an influx of visitor dollars for California. Chinese tourists shell out an average $3,000 each time they visit the Golden State, according to the state tourism commission. That amount exceeds what the average visitor from other nations spends

“When they come, they love to shop, not just for themselves,” said Jamie Lee, director of China services for LA Tourism. “It’s part of the culture. It’s very ‘Coming to America.’”

Those dollar signs have persuaded hotels, restaurants and shopping centers in the region to make their operations more Chinese-friendly.

Los Angeles and Orange counties, areas that already see large volumes of international guests, are particularly eager to please. Tourism officials from both regions have launched separate campaigns to market their attractions in China, and to train businesses on Chinese etiquette and customs.

GETTING ‘CHINA READY’

The newer, more aggressive effort is L.A.’s “NiHao China” program, or “Hello China” in English.

Companies including the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles have been adding “critical must-haves” to their establishments to be deemed “China ready,” said Renee Hartmann, co-founder of China Luxury Advisors, a consulting company that is providing certification training.

Some of those must-haves:

• Menus and brochures in Chinese;

• Familiar foods and beverages;

• Staff members who are fluent in Mandarin;

• Accepting China UnionPay, China’s official bankcard.

The 802-room Sheraton Gateway, adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport, recently made all of those adjustments. But changes don’t stop there.

Weary travelers can slip into a bathrobe and slippers, then relax over a cup of hot green tea, with all the items already in their rooms. Those who want to enjoy watching the news or soap operas in their native tongues can tune into three Chinese-language TV channels, all added a month ago.

By year’s end, the 15-story hotel will start a $20 million makeover to modernize the guest rooms and add a 200-seat Chinese restaurant, said general manager Michael Washington.

“The owners want to take the hotel to the next level,” said Washington, referring to its new proprietors, Hazens Investment. Hazens is a subsidiary of Shenzhen Hazens Real Estate Group Co. Ltd., one of the biggest real estate developers in China.

The Sheraton Gateway is on its way to being the first business to snag China-ready certification through LA Tourism.

As part of certification, participants take three courses that cover topics from how to prep for major Chinese holidays to using digital marketing to attract more visitors. Lee, of NiHao China, hopes at least 100 businesses will complete training this year. Another slice of the program is to train Mandarin-speaking tour guides. Lee hopes to get 300 ready by the end of the year. Each class costs $35, and certification must be renewed every two years.

Orange County is planning to launch its certification program later this year. But that’s not to say the region hasn’t been active in trying to attract Chinese visitors.

A group of local tourism officials flew to Beijing and Shanghai last fall to spread the word about Orange County’s sights and attractions, such as Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and luxury shopping, said Ed Fuller, president and chief executive of the Orange County Visitors Association.

Fuller said the trip resulted in a commitment of 30,000 local room nights for Orange County. The primary recipient was the Red Lion Hotel Anaheim, which got 5,800.

The hotel is gearing up to handle 800 of those room nights over five days in late May.

General Manager Cindy Hooper is already in prep mode. She has added rice and special sauces to the breakfast buffet to give Chinese visitors something familiar. She also will order more Elsa translation devices for her staff.

“It’s a big undertaking,” Hooper said.

SHIFTING TRAVEL RULES

The recent focus on the individual traveler – instead of massive tour groups – is in part due to a new Chinese law, said Hartmann, of China Luxury Advisors.

In the past, tour providers in China often would sell packages at a low cost and make their money later through surprise add-ons. The government cracked down on that activity, allowing the individual-traveler market to thrive.

This also has increased consumer independence. Websites like Ctrip, a price-comparison site similar to Priceline or Expedia, have become increasingly popular with Chinese tourists. Ctrip allows users to build their own travel packages, giving them control of hotels, flights and tour selections.

Before, “the image has been Chinese travelers paying low amounts,” said Fuller, of the Orange County tourism group. “But when we move to individual travelers, you see they’re spending more on their trips, staying longer.”

The rising popularity of travel websites in China also underscores how citizens there are relying more on digital media, not unlike their American counterparts.

Seeing this, tourism officials from Orange and Los Angeles counties have put more effort into marketing at social websites such as WeChat, a text and voice-messaging service; and Weibo, a microblogging website. Orange County is working especially hard to get Chinese tourists to stay south of the county line.

“(Chinese tourists) were quite satisfied to arrive in L.A., get onto a bus and enjoy the Disney experience,” Fuller said. “They were not packaging down here. So they weren’t stopping.”

Despite the dueling campaigns, lesser-known Orange County doesn’t “feel the heat” because there’s enough foreign business to go around, he said.

Fuller even offers a sample itinerary for Chinese tourists who want to hit up both areas.

“It’s a big market,” he added.

“What we’re telling people in China is O.C. is the heart of Southern California. If you want to lodge yourself here, you can run up to Beverly Hills, go see Universal Studios, come back here overnight, tour Orange County, go whale watching, go to Knott’s Berry Farm and then go to SeaWorld.”

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